


Love Makes a Family

by darkchakram



Category: Orphan Black (TV)
Genre: F/F, F/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-12-01
Updated: 2018-01-15
Packaged: 2019-02-09 08:24:04
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 10,589
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12883890
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/darkchakram/pseuds/darkchakram
Summary: This is a post-series Orphan Black fanfiction. Cophine is my ship, so this will feature them as the central romantic relationship but this is not only a Cophine romance, it will also feature the other clones as they struggle to be a family and face new dangers together.





	1. Lull

The snow had started falling in the night and by the early morning rush hour it had started sticking to the sidewalks. Normally, Scott Smith didn’t mind the white fluff, but he wasn’t looking forward to driving all the way to Scarborough on the slippery wet streets. As he climbed behind the wheel of his Prius, he reminded himself that it had been his decision to remain in Toronto after Dyad had gone up in flames. He’d considered going back to Minneapolis or even back home to Detroit, but when he’d been accepted into the graduate program at the University of Toronto, he quit looking at other schools. Scott pulled onto the expressway and punched up his radio dial as the Lord of the Rings soundtrack poured out of his speakers. 

Traffic had been light and Scott made it to the Scarborough campus with a little time to spare so he pulled into a corner coffeeshop. He’d had a bowl of oatmeal for breakfast but it was Friday. It couldn’t hurt to splurge on a second cup of Joe and a chocolate chip muffin. While he waited for the barista to make his latte, Scott looked over the artwork in the trendy cafe. But another patron pulled his eyes from the stretched canvases on the wall. Rachel Duncan sat at a table in the corner. Her chromebook was open and she worked her fingers across the keys like Beethoven on a piano. She was fully engrossed in the screen in front of her. Scott approached her. He waved his hand awkwardly and timidly. She didn’t notice him at all. He reached the edge of her table and she still hadn’t looked up. 

“Peppermint Mocha,” the barista called across the cafe.

Scott cleared his throat. “Good morning, Rachel.”

Rachel looked up at her former employee and former Agricola tutor. Her eyes showed none of the warmth she felt at seeing his familiar face. “Scott.”

“What, uh, brings you out to Scarborough?” Even though she was no longer his boss, there was something about Rachel that still scared him shitless. 

“Peppermint Mocha,” the barista repeated.

“Your drink Scott.”

“Huh?” 

Rachel cut her eyes toward the counter where his hot latte sat waiting in a brown paper cup.

“Oh yeah.” He blushed and nearly backed over a chair before getting his drink from the counter. Scott picked up his muffin too and turned back to Rachel. “Uh, well, I should get going. I have a class that starts in ten minutes.”

“I thought you were at the downtown campus.”

“I’m teaching an intro to Bio here in Scarborough.” Scott answered wondering how on earth she knew where he was going to school.

“Well, I wouldn’t want to keep you. Good day, Scott.”

“Bye Rachel.” he smiled and headed for the door. He considered asking her if she’d like to get together for a game of Agricola sometime but he figured she’d just shoot him down so he kept on walking. He couldn’t help one last glance back at her though. She’d already gone back to typing.

✏✏✏

Cosima Niehaus was elated to see her tiny basement apartment! She and Delphine had just spent the past three weeks tracking down her clone sisters in South Africa. The trip had been exhausting but monumental in that it marked their halfway point in tracking down the remaining clones on the list that Rachel had given Felix. 

Cosima didn’t even take her coat or boots off, she just collapsed face down on the bed. “Home!” The paisley bedspread muffled her voice but Delphine still understood the comment.  
Delphine looked around the makeshift apartment and wondered when she’d started thinking of the place as home herself. She smiled because she knew that it felt like home because so much of Cosima was there in the space. From the beaded curtain, to the long peacock feathers, to the vintage stereo, the apartment sang of Cosima. 

“Give me your coat, ma cherie.” Delphine took off her own coat and laid it across the back of the chair before taking Cosima’s and draping it over her own. When she turned around, Cosima had rolled onto her back and was looking up at the ceiling. “You hungry?” Delphine asked. “I can call in Thai.”

“Starving but there is something I want more than food right now,” Cosima sat up on her elbows and grinned at her girlfriend.

“Hmmm. And what would that be?”

“Oh you’re pretty clever. I think you can figure it out!” Cosima extended her leg and ran her foot up Delphine’s inner thigh. 

“The little tryst in the lavatory didn’t satisfy you?” Delphine smirked.

“It was but a brief respite from this burning ache you inspire in me.”

Delphine took Cosima’s foot and held her ankle firmly as she began unlacing her mid-calf leather boots. “Where does it burn, mon amour?”  
Cosima ran her hand over her shirt up to her heart. “Here, I definitely feel a warmth here.”

“There?” 

“Uh-huh, and here,” Cosima moved her hand to her belly. “It’s super heated here and a little quivery.”

“Hot and quivery. Mmm.” Delphine started working on the other boot.

“But this spot, this spot right here.” Cosima cupped her palm over her sex. “It’s like an white hot inferno. I think it may be feverish. Maybe you should take its temperature.”

“Well, I am doctor,” Delphine's accent clipped hard on the “c” in doctor which caused Cosima’s center to pulse harder. “But I don't have a medical bag with me, let me see what I can find to take your temp with.’ Delphine spread her fingers out and trailed them up Cosima’s thigh until her hand covered Cosima’s. Delphine moved over Cosima and stretched out beside her. “Let me see, Cosima. Be a good patient.”

Cosima let her hand fall to her side. She threw her head back as she felt Delphine’s soft hands slide under the band of her pants. “You’re only making it hotter,” Cosima panted.

“I promise, I’ll break your fever soon,” Delphine cooed as she slid a slender finger inside her lover. 

⚢⚢⚢

When their lives had first settled into their new normal, Alison Hendrix had been beyond relieved. She didn’t have to check over a shoulder every five seconds for a threat. She didn’t have to worry about being under the scrutinizing gaze of a monitor. She could finally live her life freely. Oscar and Gemma were safe. She and Donnie no longer had any secrets between them. Things were finally the way they were supposed to be. Well, almost the way they were supposed to be. Helena was still living in her garage with the twins. And, as much as Alison had learned to love her sestra and the boys, there was a huge part of her that couldn’t wait for Helena to get a home of her own. Sarah had offered to let her convert her basement into an apartment but Helena said she didn’t want her babies locked away in some dark place. Cosima didn’t have any space as it was, and she was already sharing that with Delphine. Alison knew that for the time being she was the only one who could provide Helena with what she needed. Still, she hoped that she would find a place soon. Alison was thankful that Donnie had taken the morning off to help Helena apartment hunt. 

She checked the baby monitor light and turned the volume up before selecting an exercise routine. She clapped her hands hard as the trainer appeared on the tv and the music started pumping through her speakers.  
Twenty minutes later she wiped her brow and the back of her neck clean of fresh sweat. She tossed her towel onto the couch and plopped down into the cushions. Soon, the eerie quiet of the house lulled her to sleep. 

Beth was standing in front of her. Her mouth was moving but no words were coming out. Beth waved her hands frantically. Something had clearly upset her.

Alison sat bolt upright. She rubbed her forehead. The dream had given her an instant, pulsing headache. She hadn’t dreamed of Beth in weeks. Alison shook her head. It didn’t matter if their lives had regained a sense of normalcy. The truth was and always would be that their worlds had changed forever. They now knew things, things about themselves, about their creators, that no human ever needed to know. They’d each in their own way been forced to face the darkest places within themselves. Like all of them, Alison had done what she needed to in order to survive, but none of it had come easily and none of it without lasting damage to her psyche. 

She stretched her arms over her head and craned her neck around to check the baby monitor. The green light was steady but she realized that she hadn’t heard a peep out of the twins since before she started her workout. She looked at the clock on the wall. She must have slept about ten minutes. Alison wavered between making herself some lunch and checking on the babies. She knew how Helena hated when anyone woke the boys from their nap, if they didn’t sleep restfully during the day, they kept her up all night. And their lungs were so strong that Donnie had taken to wearing earplugs to bed. Alison decided that it wouldn’t hurt to peek in on them before she headed up to the kitchen. 

Alison walked across the yard toward the garage. Her first inkling that something was wrong was that the gate between her yard and street was hanging open. Alison hurried toward the boys. The doorknob to the garage had been knocked off. How had she not heard that? The image of Beth waving her arms frantically came back to her. Beth! Beth had been trying to warn her. Alison pushed the door open and her worst fears were confirmed. The boys were gone. 

⚽⚽⚽


	2. Stolen

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sarah and Art learn that the twins have been kidnapped, Delphine has another secret, Alison blames herself.

Love Makes a Family: Stolen

Sarah was working on her second cup of tea when Art rolled into the office. She pointed to the coffee pot in the breakfast nook of their cramped work space. “I was beginning to wonder if you were crawling out of bed today. I put that on like an hour ago.”

“Yeah, sorry. Charlotte’s principle asked me to come in for a chat when I was dropping her off at school.”

Sarah’s brow wrinkled. “Everything okay?” Sarah couldn’t help but feel a little guilty about her lack of involvement in her youngest sister’s life. When Art had been willing to take Charlotte in, Sarah had gleefully let him shoulder that responsibility. In truth, it was all she could do to hold her own life together and still provide a life for Kira. But she still felt that somehow she owed Charlotte more than she had given her. Maybe they all did. 

“Yeah. It’s just that she’s outperforming many of the kids in her grade and they want to test her to see if she should be moved up a grade or two.” Art answered as he poured himself a cup of coffee.

“You don’t sound too sure.”

Art turned to look at Sarah as he leaned casually against the table. “Well, you know I want to give her as normal a life as possible given her previous circumstances. I’m just not sure socially, I want her skipping over middle school.”

“Got ya. High school can be a bitch.”

“Yeah, well, Something I’ll have to think about. I don’t want to retard her academic development at the expense of protecting her, either.” Art took a tentative sip of his brew. “Any new developments?” Art pointed to the paperwork in front of Sarah, changing the subject.

“Possible sighting out near Craighurst. I was just about to start making some phone calls.” Sarah answered optimistically. It was their first real lead on the case since they’d been contracted a week ago. And it was only their fourth case since they’d gone into business together as private investigators. So far, they’d outed two cheating spouses and recovered a stolen painting. The missing persons case they were currently working had proven a lot more difficult. The woman, Kayla, a twenty-two year old waitress, had been missing for six months and the police had eventually shelved the case. The woman’s father was convinced that the girl had been kidnapped even though there was absolutely no evidence of foul play. Kayla had taken a few clothes and personal items and left only a simple note to her father saying that she loved him but she was going away. There was nothing criminal for the police to investigate and when a body failed to turn up, the police just filed the case away. That’s when the father reached out to Art and Sarah. Angela Deangelis had passed their card along to the father when she broke the news that the police were sidelining the case. 

“Any cameras?” Art asked hopeful.

“Well, it was at a gas station, so maybe.” Sarah reached for their work phone but her clone phone vibrated in her pocket before she could pick up the landline receiver. It caught her off guard. It had been weeks since the clone phone had rung. Now, her sestras just called her cell phone if they wanted to chat. But she still kept the clone phone on her, charged and ready, just in case. Old habits! 

Art gave her a funny look when he saw her reach into her jacket pocket for the clone phone. Art never doubted his instincts and the hairs on the back of his neck were standing on end as Sarah hit the answer button on the phone. 

“Yeah,” Sarah greeted but then followed with a litany of, “What? Wait. Slow down. Say again. Christ. Is Helena there? Fuck! When? Is Alison okay? I’m on my way.” Sarah pushed back from the desk and was halfway to the door before Art had a chance to get a word in.

“What’s going on?”

“Christ, Art. The twins. Someone has taken them.”

“When?” Art pulled his keys out of his coat. “I’ll drive. You can fill me in on the way.”

“The case, Art.” Sarah looked at the papers on her desk. 

“I’ll make the calls from Alison’s. Let’s go.” Art scooped up the paperwork and dropped it into a manilla envelope and tucked it all under his arm. 

♊♊♊

Delphine looked over her shoulder and bent her ear toward the bathroom. Good. The water was still running, which meant Cosima would be in the bath for at least another five minutes. Delphine hurried to her still packed luggage and rifled through her clothes seeking the item she’d hidden in the bottom of her bag. She felt the plastic bag and out of paranoia looked to the bathroom again. She heard the squeak of the taps as Cosima turned the water off.

Delphine froze when she heard Cosima call out her name. “Delphine. Did you order extra mushrooms?” 

“Oui, ma cherie,” Delphine lied. She hadn’t even called the order in yet. 

“Good.” Cosima replied. And then Delphine heard her lover moan in pure pleasure as she sank down into the hot water. 

Delphine knew she had to hurry. She pulled the bag out of her suitcase and looked down into it at the tiny little black box that it held. She looked around the room for a good place to hide the box and its contents. Her underwear drawer was no good because Cosima was known to steal both Delphine’s socks and panties when she’d let her own laundry pile up. She looked into the small office space near the lab, maybe the file drawer? No. Scott might stumble upon it there. She decided that the safest place might be a pair of her boots. Cosima’s foot was smaller than hers by over a size. There was no chance that Cosima might try to slip them on. She grabbed her brown leather knee length riding boots and started to hide the box away but before she did, she could not help but open the box. The marquise cut diamond dazzled nearly as bright as the smile on her own face as she looked at the ring. She’d bought the ring in South Africa when they were there curing the Ledas. Delphine was certain that she’d found the woman she wanted to spend the rest of her life with but she just hadn’t found a way to express those feelings to Cosima yet. She’d tried to confess her future dreams at Felix’s art showing but they’d been interrupted. And then everything happened so fast. Siobhan’s murder. Exposing Dyad, Neolution, the human trials. And Cosima was so focused on curing her living sisters, Delphine didn’t want to distract Cosima from a mission that she’d worked so tirelessly for. But she didn’t know how much longer she could wait to ask Cosima the question that had been burning in her soul ever since Cosima had walked into P. T. Westmoreland’s camp. Delphine closed her eyes and let her mind replay that moment. Fear for Cosima’s life had warred with the elation at holding the woman close to her again. She’d nearly burst from the emotions churning within her. A tear moved down her cheek at the memory and the realization that things could have turned out so differently for them. She shook her head. No negative thinking. Cosima was safe and healthy. And happy! Delphine had never seen Cosima smile as much as she had smiled on their trips to save her sisters. Each grin a beam of sunshine to Delphine’s heart. Delphine wiped away the errant tear and stuffed the ring down into the toe of the boot before running into the kitchen to order the Thai food that she’d promised Cosima before the brunette had lured her into the bed for a welcome home make out session. 

Delphine called up to the Rabbit Hole. Hell-Wizard picked up the other end of the line. “Yeah?”

“Hell-Wizard, it’s Delphine. I’ve ordered food. Can you buzz me when they arrive?”

“Sure thing.” 

“Thanks.” Delphine answered then turned her attention toward the bathroom. They’d have about twenty more minutes to themselves. Scott had texted that he’d be over after his class and that he had confirmed the locations of all the Ledas in Australia and New Zealand. When they finished their next batch of cures, Delphine knew they’d be heading to the Land Down Under. Scott had also written rather cryptically that he had some news he wanted to deliver in person. Delphine decided that she’d better cherish the next few stolen minutes. She crept quietly toward the bathroom, slipping off the robe she’d put on after they’d had sex. When she reached the door, she toed it open slowly. Cosima’s neck rested on the rim of the porcelain tub. She’d fallen asleep in the embrace of the warm water. Delphine’s eyes were drawn to the wet swell of Cosima’s breast. The rest of Cosmia’s sexy form was hidden under an offending layer of bubbles. Delphine considered letting her girlfirend nap in the tub until the food came but she was a selfish lover and wanted Cosima again. She moved behind Cosima, the outside of the tub was cold against her own breasts and further hardened her already pebbled nipples. She slipped her hand beneath the suds and hefted Cosmia’s right breast in her right hand.

“Mmm, there you are,” Cosima mumbled but never opened her eyes.

“Yes, here I am.” Delphine smiled and kissed along the side of Cosima’s face.

The buzzing of the clone phone in the other room couldn’t be heard over the soft whimpers and the lapping of the water. 

⚢⚢⚢

Although she hadn’t had a drink in months, Alison Hendrix pulled the emergency bottle out from under the sink. She closed her eyes. How could she have been so stupid? She couldn’t get Helena’s murderous glare out of her head. Her sister had been devastated when Alison had broke the news. The babies had been taken on her watch. Was she really that careless? Alison looked out the window into the backyard below. Helena was looking for clues any clues, Donnie had called the security company and was working to get access to the camera footage. He’d wanted to call the police but Helena had refused. She didn’t trust the authorities. Alison wasn’t sure that Helena wasn’t right on that account. She didn’t even bother to pour herself a glass, she took a swig of the whiskey straight from the bottle. She wished she’d kept an emergency bottle of Xanax! This was her fault, all her fault. Then a horrific thought occurred to her. Had she wanted this to happen? If she was being honest with herself, she was still jealous of Helena’s fertility. Resentful of the fact that her murdering sister had birthed two beautiful, healthy baby boys. No! She hadn’t wanted this. She wanted Helena to get her own place, sure. But she hadn’t wanted her sister to lose her children. And to who? That question was the one that scared her. The one she hadn’t wanted to face. If a faction of Neolution was still out there and willing to risk kidnapping Helena’s babies then none of them were safe. Alison ran upstairs to her bedroom and grabbed the tiny phone out of her bedside table. She called the only person she trusted. 

Within seconds his beautiful English voice sung from the other end of the line, “Well, good morning. I trust all is well in the Suburbs.”

“No Felix,” Alison broke down. “I need you. We all need you” 

A half-hour later, Felix stepped out of a Lyft at JFK airport. He thought all of the sestra drama was behind them but apparently they’d all counted their chickens way too early.


	3. Backburner

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The gang don't see eye to eye about involving the cops in the kidnapping investigation. Delphine looks for the right moment to talk to Cosima about their future. Scott brings bad news and a lead on the kidnapping.

When Art and Sarah came through Alison and Donnie’s back gate, Helena brushed past them carrying a large duffle bag. Sarah eyed her sister carefully. She wasn’t too sure about Helena’s emotional state. “Hey Meathead,” Sarah worked to keep her voice even, “where you going?”

“To my locker,” Helena said and continued walking. 

“It’s not a good idea,” Art called to Helena. 

“What was not good idea was for someone to take babies!” Helena responded.

Art turned to follow Helena but Sarah stilled his hand. “Let her go. She’s feeling pretty helpless right now, I remember when Kira was missing. She needs to do something, anything.” 

Art nodded. 

“Give me your keys,” Sarah held out her palm. Art started to protest but handed them over with a sigh.

Sarah hurried out to the sidewalk, Helena had nearly made the corner already. “Hey, take Art’s car,” Sarah called down the block. 

Helena stopped walking but didn’t turn around. The move puzzled Sarah. She walked the distance that separated them. She heard the sniffling before she reached Helena. Sarah grabbed Helena and pulled her into her arms. “Hey, we are going to get them back.”

“I know,” Helena sniffed again.

“Then why you crying?” 

“I always wanted a family and now we all make family. My boys they have a family. I won’t let someone take that from them.”

“No, we won’t” Sarah broke the embrace but kept her hands firmly on Helena’s biceps. “Now, you got get what you need from your locker and you hurry back here. We’re gonna find out who took them and then we are going to get them back.”

Helena nodded, her face determined, as she took the keys from Sarah. 

When Sarah made it back to Alison’s house, Donnie had his laptop open and was showing Art the footage the security company had sent his way. There were three kidnappers. From their relative sizes, Sarah guessed one of them to be a woman. She was significantly shorter than the other two and even though the shape of her breasts weren’t visible because of the heavy coat she wore, there was something distinctly feminine in her posture and the way she moved. All three of the culprits wore non-distinct black hoodies and black pants. Beneath their hoodies, their faces were covered with ski masks. The woman wore grey tennis shoes with a large purple N logo. The taller of the men, the one who’d kicked the door knob off the garage door when he found it locked, wore black military style boots. The second man wore brown work boots. The video revealed that they’d worked swiftly and efficiently. They’d managed to get the back gate jimmied, the door knob kicked in, and the boys secured in less than five minutes. As Sarah watched the video, she found it odd that they didn’t take any of the boys’ things. No car seats, no diaper bags, not even a toy or security blanket. 

“That’s it,” Donnie threw his hands up. “Not much to go on.”

“Any neighbors have security cameras focused on the street? Maybe we can see what they drove up in, which way the came from, where they went when they left. It’d help if we could get a shot of them without their masks.” Art asked.

“Yeah, I can ask,” Donnie replied. “But how do we ask too much without alerting the authorities?”

“I say we call them. We are going to need all the help we can get on this,” Art said.

“Helena said no cops,” Alison insisted.

“Look, I’m not a big fan either,” Sarah turned to look at her sister who sat midway up the stairs, “but they’ve got resources. They can pull street cams. Run plates. . .”

“It’s Neolution,” Alison blurted, “they want revenge for us exposing them.”

“Neolution is dead, Alison,” Sarah tried to reason.

“Does a philosophy ever really die? No, think about it! Those boys. Neolution, they see them as their property. They’ll want to study them! Do God knows what to them. And Neos they have people in high places. No cops.”

Sarah gave Donnie a look that said he needed to calm Alison down before she blew a gasket.

“Don’t do that!” Alison yelled. “I’m right here. I don’t need you both to patronize me.”

Sarah threw up her hands. “I’m sorry, Alison.”

Alison shook her head and held her hands up to ward them all off as she backed herself up the stairs. She needed another drink! 

“I’ll start talking to the neighbors,” Donnie offered.  
“Yeah, that’s good. I’m gonna go out to the garage. I can’t imagine that Helena missed anything but a fresh pair of eyes never hurt. I’ll also try to reach Cosima and Delphine again. Delphine might have some insight if it is Neolution.”

Art nodded his agreement. “I’m gonna call that gas station up in Craighurst, see if that’s gonna be a viable lead for our other case. Then I’ll join you.”

“Sounds good.” Sarah hated having their attention divided but they’d already committed to the other case, they couldn’t just drop it now. “And, when Helena gets back, you need to help me convince her to let the cops in on this one.” 

♊♊♊

Delphine tied the rubber band securely around Cosima’s arm. There was no reason to worry, since she’d found her cure all of Cosima’s test had come back clean, but Delphine couldn’t help but feel a knot in the pit of her stomach everytime she stuck Cosima. She wasn’t sure if it was fear that the disease would come back or if it was a reminder of all the pain they’d gone through. 

“Ouch,” Cosima yelped as she usually did when the needle broke the surface of her skin. Delphine smiled wordlessly. “Are you making fun of me, Dr. Cormier?”

“I wouldn’t dare.”

“Hmpf,” Cosima grunted her disbelief. “You know, I bet if the roles were reversed, you’d be a terrible patient. Doctors always are!”

“Non, I’m perfectly pleasant.”

“Right, you’re French being a grumpy patient probably falls under the category of bad manners.”

“All done, ma cherie,” Delphine placed a band-aid over the puncture and then kissed Cosima on the tip of her nose. “Would you like a sticker for not crying?”

“Sticker. That’s lame, but I could go for an Eskimo Pie.” Cosima scooted off of the stool. “There are a couple in the fridge. Do you want one?”

“Non,” Delphine shook her head. She wanted to talk to Cosima about their future and she didn’t want to do it with milk churning in her stomach along with the butterflies she could already feel fluttering. “Cosima, we have just over one hundred Ledas left to cure.”

“I know,” Cosima’s eyes went wide with joy and her lips spread out in a full smile. “It’s crazy, right?”

Delphine returned Cosima’s smile, how could she not? Cosima’s face lit up a room. It was infectious. “Have you thought about what you want to do? When we finish?” 

“Umm, I mean yeah, I guess, I should go see my parents. It’s been a minute.” Cosima’s eyes rolled into the back of her head as she bit into the chocolate shell of her treat. 

Delphine nodded. “Your parents, of course. And, after that?”

Cosima looked at Delphine oddly. Was she missing something? What was with all the questions? “Umm, I’d like to go back to school. Finish my degree. I kind put everything on hold.”

Delphine squeezed her eyes shut. She wanted to just blurt out her feelings. She wanted to tell Cosima that she wanted to spend the rest of her life with her but she held back. “Have you given any thought to where you want to go to school? Back to Minnesota?”

“Nothing definite. The program there is great but there are other Evolutionary Development programs. If I stay on that track.”

The words took Delphine by surprise. Cosima had never expressed any desire to move away from her chosen discipline, at least not to her. “Are you considering another discipline?”

“I’ve actually been thinking a lot about Pathology.”

“I see.” It made sense. She’d spent so much time working on a cure for herself and her sisters that she was almost an expert in the field already. “And what about. . .” Delphine was going to ask Cosima if she’d given any thoughts to her personal life but she was cut off by the door buzzing and Scott coming down the stairs. 

“Hey!” Cosima called to her friend who’d become like a brother to her and her sisters.

Delphine greeted Scott with a hand wave and tried not to silently curse his timing. It wasn’t that Delphine doubted that Cosima loved her. She knew unequivocally that Cosima was in love with her. What worried her was that they hadn’t had a real conversation about how each of them saw their future. She wasn’t even sure if Cosima wanted a life-long committed relationship. Delphine had to admit that in that regard she was a bit old fashioned. Unconventional Cosmia, maybe not so much. Delphine pushed her fears aside and cleaned up the area where she’d taken Cosima’s blood. 

“I’ve got bad news,” Scott said as he hung his coat on the rack. 

Ah, Delphine thought, this was what he hadn’t wanted to talk about over the phone. She knew what it would be before he continued. They all hated the look on Cosima’s face when she learned of another of her sister’s passing. She took each one personally, as if the death was due to her failure to find a cure in time. Delphine moved closer to Cosima so that she would be there if her love needed her to lean on. 

“Where?” Cosmia asked trying to hide the hurt in her voice. She fidgeted with her dreads like she often did when she was hearing something she didn’t want to hear. “Who?”

“Tiffany Ann Johnson, the one from Tennessee that we couldn’t find because she was a runaway.”

Cosima wrinkled her nose trying not to cry. Delphine wrapped an arm around her. Cosima let her. “When?” Cosmia asked.

“The body had been unidentified for awhile, Cosima. It wasn’t the disease. The guy she skipped town with, he uh, he killed her. He’s been charged with her murder. As far as anyone knows, the disease hadn’t presented itself.”

Cosima released a heavy breath. Delphine closed her eyes. The fact that the girl was murdered was horrific but at least Cosima wouldn’t have to carry the weight of that death. “What’s the status of the Leda’s in Australia, New Zealand?” Delphine asked.

“Well, two of the six in Australia are already showing signs, have visited doctors for respiratory symptoms. Neither of the two women in New Zealand seem to be ill.”

“How are we on the next batch of cures?” Cosima asked. She didn’t want to waste any time.

“I’ve got enough for that trip and I’ve got confirmed locations on five more Leda’s. There is one in Salinas that is not doing so well. I thought you might head there first. I took the liberty of booking you flights for day after tomorrow. California and then on to Australia.”

“That’s perfect, Scott,” Cosima crinkled up her empty Eskimo Pie wrapper and tossed it basketball style into a nearby waste bin. 

“Yes, thank you Scott.” Delphine looked over at her boot with the engagement ring. She shook her head at her own selfishness. Cosima didn’t need her adding to her stress by forcing her to talk about their future. Delphine resolved to let the status quo be. 

“Salinas. That’s not far from my parents. They are back in San Fran.” Cosima looked at Delphine out of the corner of her eye as she revealed that little tidbit. She wanted to ask Delphine if she’d like to meet her parents while they were in California. They’d have to fly into San Fran, afterall. It wouldn’t hurt to take an afternoon and spend it with her folks. Cosima decided she’d wait and mention it to Delphine when they were alone. There was no sense in putting her girlfriend on the spot in front of Scott. Cosima wasn’t sure Delphine was at the “meet the parents” stage yet. When they’d been in the Netherlands, Cosima had secretly hoped that Delphine would suggest a quick trip to France but she hadn’t. Maybe they weren’t there yet. Then a terrible thought occurred to Cosima. Maybe they would never be there. After all, Delphine had only dated men before Cosima. Would Delpine consider spending the rest of her life with a woman?

The buzzing of the clone phone brought Cosima out of her dark thoughts. She flipped it open. “It’s Sarah,” she said half to herself, half to Delphine and Scott. They hadn’t used the clone phones in so long that Cosima noticed her battery was at five percent. “What’s up?”

“Cos. glad I caught you.” Sarah sighed.

Cosima could hear the trouble in Sarah’’s voice. Delphine saw Cosima’s back stiffen and knew things weren’t good. She moved closer to Cosima. 

“What can we do to help?” Cosima asked. She nodded her head a couple of times. “We’ll see what Hell-Wizard can do. And Delphine can talk to Siobhan’s network. Yeah. We’ll look through those old personnel files, see if anyone’s gone dark.”

Delphine was not liking the sound of anything that was coming out of Cosima’s mouth. Siobhan’s network? Personnel files? Her hands fisted reflexively.

“Sarah, I’ve got to be in California in two days. One of the Ledas is critical.” Cosima shook her head. Sometimes it was all just too much. “Will do. Don’t let her do anything crazy,” Cosima said before she closed the phone.

Cosima turned and looked at Delphine and Scott, “The twins have been taken. From Alison’s this morning.”

“What? That doesn’t. . .who? Neolution?” Delphine thought out loud.

“Maybe, likely.” Cosmia took Delphine’s hand for comfort. She didn’t know if she had another battle in her so, she reached for the fountain of strength that was the woman she loved. 

“But who?” Delphine asked. “Most of them were arrested. A couple fled the country.”

“Then that’s where we start digging,” Cosima urged.

“Uh,” Scott interjected. “I may have lead.”

Both women looked to Scott who shifted nervously on his feet.

“Well?” Cosima rose her voice impatiently. 

“I saw Rachel this morning. Early. She was in Scarborough.”

“Christ!’ Cosima cried. “She wouldn’t.”

“Wouldn’t she?” Delphine asked. 

Cosima looked back at Scott who smiled an uncomfortable toothy grin.


	4. The Heart Wants

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Scott's story points to Rachel but not everyone agrees that she's the culprit.

The Heart Wants

Cosima stared out the front passenger window, watching the snow-covered sidewalks zip by. They'd taken Delphine's car, Delphine drove while Scott fidgeted in the backseat. "She was alone when I saw her," Scott answered another barrage of questions from the doctor. Cosima was starting to feel sorry for him. Plus, she wasn't as keen on blaming Rachel for the kidnapping as Delphine was. It didn't make sense to Cosima. After all, Rachel had extended an olive branch by given them the names and last known whereabouts of all of the Ledas. Why would she do that only to then kidnap the twins? When Cosima had voiced this question back at their apartment, Delphine had reminded her that Rachel was conniving, manipulative, and a master at sleight of hand. Delphine had argued that it would have been the perfect setup for her long game of taking the boys. 

“Think Scott, did she seem nervous when she saw you at the coffee shop?” Delphine lobbed another question his way as she turned onto the ramp for the expressway. 

“Um. No, not really. She. . .she seemed like Rachel,” Scott replied looking anywhere but at Delphine’s dark piercing gaze in the rearview mirror. 

“Delphine, I think he’s told us everything he knows.” Cosima reached over and put her hand on her girlfriend’s thigh, just above over knee.

“But-” Delphine tried to protest.

“And, he’s gonna have to go over it another twenty times for Sarah. Can we just give it a tiny break?”

Delphine huffed out a deep breath of displeasure but put on one of her fake tight-lipped smiles. “Sure, Cosima.” She knew that Cosima liked to think the best of her sisters, all of them, even Rachel. But Delphine had worked more closely with the ProClone than any of the Ledas had, she more than anyone knew how cold and calculated Rachel could be when she wanted something. And some of the intel that Siobhan and Delphine had managed to uncover regarding Rachel suggested that Rachel desperately wanted children. And, Delphine had once overheard a heated exchange between Leekie and Rachel about Rachel’s envy of Sarah’s fertility. He’d told her then that she needed to get her emotions in check or she would make a mistake by taking everything too personally. Delphine squeezed the leather steering wheel cover a little harder and tried to relax. Just when she had started thinking about her and Cosima’s future together, their world started unraveling again. She looked down at Cosima’s hand on her leg. It was warm and comforting and she let herself accept the solace that it offered. She placed her longer hand over Cosima’s and curled their fingers together. 

As Delphine relaxed, so did her passengers. Cosima leaned over toward Delphine as much as the seat belt would let her. She whispered, “Love you.” Then, she tapped the “on” button for the radio. “Yesterday” by the Beatles filled the car. Scott unclenched his fists and breathed easier as he felt his sphincter relax. But he continued to avoid looking into the rearview mirror for the remainder of the ride. 

⚢⚢⚢

Felix turned his phone on as the plane taxied toward the gate. His phone chimed repeatedly. Twenty-two text messages, twenty from Alison, one from Sarah, and one from Colin. One voicemail from Sarah. He listened to the voicemail first. “Fe, shit’s hit the fan. Somebody has kidnapped Helena’s boys. Will let you know more when we do. Stay safe and watch your back, yeah?”

Felix thumbed his page over to the text messages. He read through Alison’s which went from fairly sober to barely coherent. Sandwiched in the middle of Alison’s texts was the one from Sarah. “Shite. Alison told me she called you. Fe, I didn’t want to drag you into this. You’ve got important shit. I’ll leave it up to you whether or not you want to bring Adele in. Fly safe.” Finally, Felix read the message from Colin. “Miss you. Taking a three-day weekend to come down to NYC at the end of the month.” Felix smiled. The boy just couldn’t get enough of him! Well, Colin was in luck, he was going to get to see him sooner rather than later. 


	5. Normal

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Helena goes to her locker and faces her past. Cosima thinks about the future.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just a heads up. The next chapter may take a couple of weeks. I have a film premiering at Slamdance next week so I will be in Utah for Sundance/Slamdance.

Love Makes a Family: Normal

Dust tickled Helena's nose as she opened the door to her storage locker. It had been months since she'd last visited the place. She wasn’t even sure why she’d continued to pay rent on the unit, but for some reason, she just hadn’t been able to let the place go. When she flicked on the overhead light, she was greeted by the vacant eyes of decapitated doll heads. Guilt soured her stomach, as it did every time she thought of the sestras that had died at her own hands. Helena forced her eyes away from the dolls, but her thoughts weren't as easily shaken away. As she opened the trunk that held her dismantled sniper rifle, her mind clung to those dark days of torment. Sometimes she let herself blame Tomas and Maggie Chen for pulling her strings. Other times, she wondered if there was something innately defective within her that had allowed them to guide her so effortlessly down that murderous path. 

Was that why her boys had been taken? Was God punishing her for her part in her sestras' deaths? Helena went down on her knees in front of the trunk. She closed her eyes and reached her hands heavenward. She prayed silently. Maybe she hadn't done enough penance to absolve her of the blood she’d spilled. Helena reached up under the lid of the trunk where she kept a small stash of loose razor blades. She took off her jacket and lifted her shirt over her head. She looked down at her breasts covered only by a white cotton nursing bra. They were starting to ache with their fullness. It was past time for the boys' feeding. She could see where the left breast had leaked and left a yellowish stain. Thinking of her children warmed her soul. Helena tossed the razor aside. No more penance. Her boys were a gift and God wouldn't have given them to her if she didn't deserve them. It wasn't God who'd taken her boys away. A hot, fat tear splattered on her cleavage at the realization. She would never believe in that evil God of Tomas' ever again. Alison's minister had told her that God was love. He'd even invited her and the twins to his nice church where they gave free food in the fellowship hall after services. He was a nice man and Helena decided she liked his God better. She would rather her boys grow up feeling loved by God rather than sinful and unloveable. But if God hadn't sent someone to take her boys, then who had? Sestra Alison was sure that it was the Neolutionists or maybe even someone within Dyad.

Helena wouldn’t put it past the Neos to try and take her boys. They were special, like Kira. Also it made sense to her that Dyad would want the boys since they were science babies. Helena bagged her rifle and grabbed a couple of knives. She loaded a handgun and tucked it into the waistband of her pants before pulling her shirt and jacket back on. Helena looked around the locker for anything else that might be of immediate use. Her eyes landed on an old table of Maggie Chen’s. Helena figured that Art and Sarah had already scoured the place clean of any useful Dyad or Neolution info that Maggie might have stored there. But if never hurt to check. Helena pulled open the table drawer. It had been cleaned out as she expected. The only thing in the drawer were a couple of pens and a rubber band. Helena pulled the drawer clean from the table and looked inside to see if Maggie had hidden anything behind the drawer. There was nothing there, but when she looked at the drawer itself, Helena found an envelope taped to the backside. Helena ripped it off and then opened the flap. The envelope contained two pieces of paper. On the first was a list of twenty names and addresses. Several names had been crossed off the list, the last name slashed through with red ink was Katja Obinger. Helena read the other names that had been marked off and realized they were the names of the Ledas that she had exterminated. The next name on the list was Cosima Niehaus. The address listed was in San Francisco. It would have taken Maggie and Tomas a little while to have located Cosima but it was clear to Helena that Cosima would have been her next mark. She dropped the letter and closed her eyes to shut out the thought. When she could bring herself to open her eyes, Helena looked at the second piece of paper in the envelope. The only thing written on the list was Ferdinand Chevalier, A4509389, $50,000. So, Ferdinand hadn’t just been responsible for Helsinki, he’d also had his hand in getting the Proletheans to off the Leda clones. Helena folded up the papers and stuffed them in her jacket. Ferdinand was a dead end. As much as the information sickened her, it didn’t help her find her sons. Helena knew that Rachel might be able to offer some insight where Dyad and Neolution was concerned but figured that Sarah was already pursuing that angle. But Helena didn’t put much faith in anything that came out of Rachel’s dirty little mouth. Instead of storming the castle gates, Helena decided that a backdoor approach might get better results. It was time for her to pay a visit to the Neolution Club where she’d taken Olivier’s tail. If there were rumors about her special twins then they would certainly be circulating around the club. 

♊♊♊

Cosima grabbed a tangerine from the fruit bowl on Alison’s kitchen counter. She wanted to smoke so badly she couldn’t see straight but she had to pick up the girls from school. It had been an hour since Delphine had left with Scott and Sarah. Helena still hadn’t returned which was beginning to worry Cosima. She hoped her sister wouldn’t go rogue on them. They’d have a better chance of finding the boys and getting them back if they worked together. Cosima knew just how hard it could be not knowing if someone you loved was dead or alive. And even after she’d learned that Delphine was possibly alive, she still hadn’t had any clue to her love’s whereabouts. The waiting, the not knowing had been sheer torture. 

“There’s turkey in the fridge if you want to make a sandwich,” Donnie called as he walked into the kitchen.

“This is good, thanks.” Cosima held the tiny fruit up. She didn’t remind him that she was a vegetarian. “How’s Alison?”

“She’ll be alright. It was a shock for her. She blames herself.” Donnie grabbed a bottle of water from the fridge door.

“I could have happened to any of us. Sometimes I fear we will always be targets. Even though going public was supposed to protect us.” 

“You don’t think they still have monitors on you?” Donnie asked.

“I doesn’t make sense, does it? I mean P.T. is dead, the Duncans, Leekie.” Cosima wished she hadn’t mentioned Leekie’s name when she saw the guilt flash across Donnie’s face. “I mean . . . most of the people who had a vested interest in us. . . they are gone.”

“Well, the ones we knew about, anyway.” 

“I suppose that’s true. P. T. did have a lot of followers and even though many turned on him when they realized he was a phony, I’m sure there were a few zealots who still believed in the cause even if their figurehead turned out to be a scam.”

“Yeah, that’s what scares me. Zealots with money.” Donnie squeezed the bottle of water. “I need to get this to Alie.” 

“Yeah, yeah. Sorry. Just thinking it through.” Cosma said as Donnie headed back up the stairs. Donnie’s comment about monitors bothered Cosima more than she had let on. What if there was an arm of Dyad out there that was still monitoring them? Who from the Board was still living? Would they have the resources to regroup? Did Delphine know more than she was telling her? A nightmarish thought occurred to Cosima. Was Delphine still monitoring her? No! She couldn’t be. Could she? No! Cosima refused to believe it. Delphine loved her. Bottom line. Delphine had been acting edgy ever since Sarah had called with the news of the kidnapping. And when Scott had thrown Rachel into the mix, Delphine had morphed into full blown aggression mode. Delphine harbored resentment toward Rachel from their days of rivalry at Dyad. But Cosima had sensed something more than ambition at play in Delphine’s insistence that Rachel was the culprit. Cosima wasn’t sure if it was fear that Rachel would do something to hurt the Leda sisters or if it was just fear that they would never be able to live normal lives. 

To be honest, Cosima wasn’t even sure what a “normal” life was. She’d been raised by fairly untraditional parents. Although they had loved her and each other very much, Cosima knew that her family didn’t resemble the typical American family. Where other kids spent summer break going to Disneyland, Cosima spent hers on research trips with her parents. They went to museums instead of movies. Books had been her best friends. It wasn’t until she went off to college that Cosima’s life started to approach anything close to “normal.”   
Cosima wondered what Delphine’s childhood had been like. Delphine rarely talked about her family. Sometimes Cosima felt guilty that their work on the Leda’s had consumed so much of their relationship. Even when they were together it seemed that their conversations often turned to work. Cosima wondered what Delphine’s baseline for a “normal” life was. She promised herself the next time they had some alone time, they were going to have a heart to heart. The thought both thrilled and terrified her. The prospect of moving forward together thrilled her core but the fear that Delphine wasn’t ready to take the next step sent icy waves of doubt coursing through her veins. 

Cosima’s phone chimed at her, reminding her that she needed to leave to pick up KIra and Charlotte. She sent a quick text to Donnie letting him know that she was leaving and that if he needed anything she’d be back at the Rabbit Hole. Then, she grabbed Sarah’s jacket and pulled her hair up into a beanie. She looked at herself in the mirror. She knew her glasses would give her away to the girls immediately but she hoped they were smart enough to catch on to the cloneswap without tipping off their teachers. Cosima grabbed a tissue from a table in Alison’s foyer and began rubbing her eyeliner off. She checked the mirror again. “Oi, Kira, ‘ow was school?” Her reflection winced at her attempt at Sarah’s accent. She took a deep breath and tried again. “Oi, Kira, dya ‘ave a good daye?”

“Dear God, I’ve died and gone to clone Hell,” Felix called from the front door.

Cosima grinned one of her wide bright smiles. “Felix!” She threw her arms around the man who’d become a surrogate brother to all the Ledas. 

“Cos, what are you doing?”

“I’ve gotta pick Kira and Charlotte up from school but I’m not on the approved list so I gotta pretend to be Sarah.”

“Okay. Well, that sounded like Bert from Mary Poppins.” 

“It was that bad, huh?”

“Mm-huh. Want my advice?” Felix asked.

“Yeah.”

“Just don’t open your mouth.”

“Felix.” Cosima mock-punched him in the arm.

“Seriously, you’ll be fine. Give Kira a kiss from me, yeah?”

“Yeah.” Cosima nodded.

“Where’s Alison?”

Cosima pointed upstairs. “Donnie got her quieted.”

“How much valium did that take?” Felix joked. “Where’s Sarah? 

“Long story but she, Delphine and Scott are interrogating Rachel.”

“They think One-Eyed Willie had something to do with the kidnapping.”

“Yeah, she was in Scarborough this morning. Scott saw her.” 

“Well, a lot of people were in Scarborough this morning, doesn’t make them kidnappers. God. Sarah has such a hard on for Rachel.”

“Yeah, so does Delphine.”

“Better get that on a leash. Rachel’s looking for a new Daddy.”

“Shut the fuck up!” Cosima rolled her eyes. “I’m outta here.”

Cosima knew that Felix had been kidding but for some reason the image of Delphine spanking Rachel settled into her brain and wouldn’t go away. It replayed on loop the entire drive to Kira’s school.


End file.
